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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anthony Mann creates a classic,
By M. Dog (Everywhere and Nowhere) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Winchester 73 (DVD)
The story goes that in 1950 Jimmy Stewart was looking around for something a little different for himself, something where he could play a character less folksy and warm. He sure did find it in this film, as well as all the other magnificent westerns he did with gritty, noir director, Anthony Mann (T-Men, Raw Deal, Railroaded, etc). This is the first of their collaborations.When the film was first shown to test audiences, there were titters in the crowd when Jimmy Stewart's name appeared in the credits. "Mr. Smith" in a western? Shooting people? Please. By the end of the film, the tittering was all done and Stewart had established himself as a viable western hero (although in truth the magic of these Mann/Stewart westerns is that the characters Stewart plays are hardly "heroic." They are usually driven, neurotic men, nearly shifty-eyed, with a mean streak a mile wide - bitter men, and always very, very angry and eager to kill. The basic set-up of this film is beautifully simple: Jimmy Stewart has a prize rifle stolen from him, a Winchester Model 1973 (which at the time the film takes place was state-of-the-art in the world of firearms), and he spends the rest of the movie hunting the man that stole it. The story unfolds, however, as the movie rolls quickly along to something much more complex, culminating in one of the finest shootouts in movie history. The two principal actors of the film, James Stewart and Stewart McNally, spent a great deal of time practicing with their rifles (in Stewart's case Mann often found him walking around the set with bleeding knuckles, the results of his hours of self-training working the classic lever-action Winchester). Their hard work paid of in a tremendous realism. Anthony Mann brought in cinematographer, William Daniels, for Winchester '73, a veteran who most notably had worked a great deal with Garbo in the 30's. Daniels brought his tremendous sense of lighting to the table to create one of the most beautiful looking Westerns of all time. Daniels' light, combined with Mann's unmatched visual sense, made things look nearly 3-demensional in their reality. When viewing this film, watch for the staggering long shots, or the scenes near dusk or at night. Pure texture and light - at once glamorous yet real. This film also has my favorite depiction of aging Western legend, Wyatt Earp, the Law in Dodge, played with easy authority by Will Greer. Greer always offers his suggestions to town folks with a warm smile, as when he asks Stewart to give up his gun in an early scene. There is always a bit of steel in the old gunfighter's eyes, though, and folks always do just as he suggests. Quickly. All in all a great treat and a must-have for any fan of the Western (or for that matter, any lover of movies). A true classic all the way. --Mykal Banta
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good overall.,
This review is from: Winchester 73 (DVD)
This is a great movie for any person who likes westerns. It does take some unsuspecting turns. It's a good clean shoe for almost any age. I just wish it was in colour.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great Western, Incredibly Poor DVD Transfer,
By
This review is from: Winchester 73 (DVD)
It's a real shame how badly this film was transferred to DVD. Much of the DVD is fine; some sections of it look better than I've ever seen in any other format, displaying the excellence of the black-and-white photography. But other sections are grainy and marred by distracting visual noise, and that isn't the worst of it: In several places during the film, the DVD "jumps" from one scene to another because obviously the source material was so poor! It's like watching a worn-out, popping film in a run-down theater! This is something I can't ever recall on a DVD transfer of a film as exciting and important as "Winchester '73."The interview with Jimmy Stewart as he watches the film with the interviewer is interesting, but the "Winchester" DVD overall ranks as a *MAJOR* disappointment.
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